Alright, alright, let’s talk about these three wise men, the Chinese way. Folks keep jabberin’ about ’em, so I figured I’d put in my two cents, ya know?
Now, some smarty-pants people call ’em the Magi. Sounds fancy, but I ain’t impressed. They say these fellas showed up after Jesus was born, bringin’ gifts and all that. But where they came from, that’s where the story gets interestin’.
Some say they were from the East, right? Well, East is a big place, ain’t it? You got your Persia, you got your China, all sorts of places. But lemme tell ya, I heard a tale ’bout these fellas bein’ connected to somethin’ called Fu Lu Shou. Don’t ask me what it means, some kinda Chinese stuff, I reckon.
- Fu, they say, that’s for good luck and happiness. Like findin’ a twenty dollar bill in your old coat pocket, that kinda luck.
- Then there’s Lu. That’s about doin’ good in your job, makin’ money, you know, gettin’ ahead in life. Like havin’ a good harvest and sellin’ it for a good price.
- And lastly, Shou. That’s all about livin’ a long life, bein’ healthy and strong, like them old oak trees that just keep on growin’.
Now, these Fu Lu Shou fellas, they ain’t exactly the same as the wise men, but it makes ya think, don’t it? Maybe folks just got their stories mixed up over time, like when you retell a fish story and the fish gets bigger every time. These three wise men in the Bible, they brought gifts too. Gold, somethin’ any old woman understands, means Jesus is a king, like them fancy folks in the big castles. Then they brought some kinda smell-good stuff called frankincense, that they said shows he was holy, real close to God and all.
Some folks say these wise men were from Persia, ’cause they were Magi, some kinda priests over there. But I heard another story, a story that says maybe, just maybe, they had somethin’ to do with China. Now, I ain’t sayin’ it’s true, but it’s somethin’ to chew on, like a good piece of jerky. If they were from the east, China is in the east, ain’t it? So, who is to say they weren’t from China?
Think about it, they came from far away, followin’ a star. That takes some doin’, let me tell ya. You gotta be smart, you gotta be brave, and you gotta have a good reason to leave your home and travel all that way. And what better reason than to see a new king, a special baby?
But the main thing is these wise men, wherever they came from, they knew somethin’ special was happenin’. They knew this baby Jesus was important, and they wanted to pay their respects. And that’s a good thing, no matter where you’re from. Their names, their significance, that’s what them preacher folks like to talk about. But for me, it’s the journey, the travelin’ far and wide, that gets me. It shows they cared, that they believed.
Some stories say they each represented different ages of men, young, middle-aged, and old. Makes sense, I guess. Young folks got the energy to travel, middle-aged folks got the know-how, and old folks got the wisdom to know where to go. And they say each one came from different parts of the world, different cultures and all. That just shows ya, people from all over can come together for somethin’ good, somethin’ important.
So, whether they were Persian Magi, or somehow connected to those Chinese Fu Lu Shou fellas, or just some wise men from who-knows-where, it don’t really matter. What matters is they showed up, they paid their respects, and they helped spread the word about this special baby. And that’s a story worth tellin’, no matter how you tell it, whether it’s from the Bible, or just some old woman like me sharin’ what she’s heard.
And that’s all I gotta say about these three wise men, Chinese or otherwise. They’re a part of the story, a big part, and that’s good enough for me.